Automatic radio control



Febo l, 1938. E. BRUGGER AUTOMATIC RADIO CONTROL 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filkvd Jan. 29, 1936 @u WS Ww wm AW INVENTOR ffy/E .6m/66H2 BY y ATTO RN EY Feb. 1, 1938. E. BRUGGER AUTOMATIC RADIO CONTROL 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 29, 1936 Dn O T N E V W ATTORNEY Feb. l, 1938.

E. BRUGGER A AUTOMATIC RADIO CONTRCPL Filed Jan. 29, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 13 Claims.

This invention relates to radio receiving sets having mechanism` to automatically select any one of a plurality of stations for radio reception at predetermined times.

The object of the invention is to render a mechanism of this sort more convenient to use and to give a choice of smaller time intervals.

The present application is an improvement on and a continuation in part of my application, l Serial No. 438,292 iiled March 24, 1930 for Automatic radio station selector. In said application hour intervals only can be selected and a separate device in the form of a lever is provided for each hour. With the present improvement onequarter hour intervals, both a. m. or p. m. may

be readily useable.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of controllers which I designate determinators, these in the specific embodiment shown, taking the form of keys, jacks or plugs which may be inserted in holes in a stationary plate on the panel board of a radio set. These holes are arranged into sets, one set for a. m. and the other set for p. In.

In order that various time intervals may be made available, each determinator is provided with one or more elements, each element corresponding to a time unit and when a determinator is inserted in the panel board it will cause con- 30 nections to be made under control of a timing element which will bring the radio set into action at a predetermined time for a particular station and continue such action for a time interval corresponding to the number of time unit elements carried by the particular determinator used.

Each element on each determinator is also provided with a characteristic contour appropriate to the station which the particular determinator is to select. Thus a determinator having four 40 elements, in the present embodiment, would cause the selection of a particular station and continue reception from said station for one hour. The position which a determinator occupies on the panel board determines the time when the 45 radio set becomes operative and the interval during which it remains operative and by the contour of the element or elements carried thereby selects the desired station.

In other words the positioning of a determinator selects a station, establishes the local operating circuit for the radio set and at the end of a `deiinite time interval the local operating circuit is broken.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a continuous series of time unit devices corresponding to p. m. and a series of groups of time unit devices corresponding to a. m. These devices are arranged beneath the holes in the panel board and any determinator (Cl. Z50-20) placed in the holes cooperates with these time unit devices.

A further ieatme of the invention resides in the manner of spacing the holes so that a determinator may be placed in cooperation with the p. m. series of time unit devices beginning at any place in the series. For instance, if it is desired to have the radio set operative for one-half hour between 1:45 and 2:15 p. m., a determinator having two elements is placed in the holes marked 1:45 and 2:00.

A still further feature of the invention relates to the automatic switching from a. In. to p. m. and vice versa of the control exercised by a determinator. For instance, if it were desired to have the radio set operative between 11:45 a. m. and 12:15 p. m., a determinator having one element would be placed in the a. m. hole corresponding to 11:45 and a similar one in the 12:00 hole of the p. m. series. At 12 noon, the circuits controlled by the a. m. determinator would automatically be switched to the p. m. determinator.

Other features and advantages will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a panel board of a radio set having my invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a section considerably enlarged on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged front view of a portion of the panel board with parts broken away.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4--4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a detailed elevation of one of the determinators used to select station WOR, for example, and to continue the reception from said station for one hour.

Figure 7 is a similar view for three-quarter hour reception from another station designated for convenience, WJZ.

Figure 8 is a similar view of a determinator for one-half hour reception from a third station designated WEAF.

Figure 9 is a similar view showing a determinator having a single element for fifteen minutes radio reception from the same station as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a more or less diagrammatic view showing the electrical connections.

Referring to the drawings in detail I indicates the panel board of a radio receiving set. Just inside this panel board is shown one element, 2 of a tuning mechanism which in the present drawings is illustrated as a condenser. The set may have a number of these and if so they may be connected as usual by means of a pulley shown at 4 and belt 6. Three of these condensers are dia- Agrammatically indicated in Figure 1, but in the following description and in the claims this mechanism, whether consisting of several connected condensers, a single condenser, or other means to determine a station, will be referred to as tuning mechanism. As shown the movable member of this mechanism is mounted on a shaft 'l and the usual dial 8 may be provided for setting the same by hand.

An electric motor IU (Figure 2) is provided with a shaft I2 carrying a worm I4 engaging a worm wheel I6 carried by a Shaft II, supported at one end by an upstanding bracket I8 and at the other end by bearing 20. A friction clutch I9 enables the motor to drive the shaft I but permits hand setting if desired. The motor is reversible, adapting it for use where the condenser is limited to an arc of about 180". The positioning of the condenser by the motor may be the same as in my application above referred to and includes a contact ring 22 mounted on the shaft 'i but insulated therefrom by a ring of non-conducting material indicated at 24 (Figures 3 and 10). An arcuate frame 26 rises from the base of the radio set, the upper portion having an arcuate dove-tailed groove 28 for the support o station contacts 3U, each carrying abrush 32 bearing on the contact ring 22. To a pin on each brush is attached a lead wire. Screws 34 enable each station contact 30 to be adjusted along the arcuate slot 28. One of these station contacts is provided for each station and three are shown in the present embodiment. To permit the insertion of the contacts the lower portion of the groove 28 is cut away slightly at 36. Also supported on the frame 36 is a permanent contact 38 having a spring pressed contact member 4] which also bears against the contact ring 22. The electric leads from the brushes 32 are indicated at 42, 44 and 46 respectively and from the brush 40 is a lead 48.

It is to be understood that the invention in its broader aspects is not dependent on how the tuning is brought about and therefore the showing of a movable condenser and a motor is to be considered merely as a conventional way of bringing about the tuning. For instance, each station contact 30 might be connected to a fixed condenser set to tune to a particular station. The invention would be as applicable to such a construction as to one in which the condenser is movable. Therefore, in the claims the term tuning mechanism is to be understood as applying to any mechanism by which a radio reception from a particular station is made available.

Referring now to Figure 2, there is provided at the left hand portion thereof, a constant speed motor diagrammatically shown at 5D. On the shaft of this motor, which makes one rotation in fifteen minutes, is one member of a friction clutch 52 cooperating with a similar clutch member 53 on a shaft 54 properly supported in the casing and having on its end a knob by which the shaft 54 may be turned independently of the constant speed motor due to the friction clutch. The shaft 54 carries an arm 55 which enables the teeth of a star wheel 55 and moves said wheel one tooth at every rotation of the shaft 54, that is to say, one tooth every fifteen minutes, The star wheel carries a hub 5l by which it is secured to a shaft 58, the latter supported at one end in a bearing 59 and at its other end in a fixed plate 6i), suitably secured to the panel board I, as

clearly shown in Figure 4. The panel board is out away at 6I and the plate 6D is provided with two circular series of holes, Figure 3, into which the determinators, already referred to, are placed.

Secured to the shaft 58 below the star wheel 5G as shown in Figure 2, is a contact disc 62 having about its periphery an electrically conducting ring 63, Figure 4. Referring now to Figure l0, an electric plug 64 is shown in the lower right hand portion which may be connected to any suitable source of electrical energy. From this plug a wire 65 leads to a binding screw 66, the other end ol' which is provided with a spring pressed plunger 6l which makes sliding contact with the ring 53.

Arranged about the periphery of the Contact disc 62 are two series of rings, the inner series consisting of the rings 68, I0, and l2, and the outer series of the rings T4, 16, and '18. These rings are of electrically conducting material but are separated from each other and from the plate 68, by insulating rings 80. These rings 68 to 18 constitute thel station selecting mechanism and there are as many rings as there are stations to be selected. The inner series of rings enable the determinators to select stations during the p. m. period, while the outer set of rings correspond to the a. m. period. All of the rings are secured together and to the plate 60.

Each set of rings is provided with a series of perforations, the perforations of the inner series being continuous and registering with a similar series of perforations 82 in the plate 50. The perforations of the outer set are arranged in groups of four and register with perforations 84 similarly arranged in groups of four, in the plate 69. Between the plate and the adjacent insulating ring Bil, Figure 4, are a series of time unit devices 8G. These are also clearly shown in front elevation in Figure 3. Each of these time unit dovices has two holes registering with the perforations 84 and 82 respectively in the rings and plate G8. There are as many of these time unit devices as there are time unit intervals. In the present embodiment since the time unit interval chosen is one-quarter of an hour, forty-eight time unit devices are provided.

For convenience in description the rings 68 and 'i4 constituting the selecting mechanism, are shown as appropriated to station WOR. The next ring is appropriated to the station WEAF and the top ring as indicated in Figure 4 or the bottom ring as indicated in Figure 3, is appropriated to the station WJZ.

Reference has been made to the lead connected to the source of electrical supply. From this lead the current may flow to the contact ring S3 and thence through a wire 88 to a binding post 9D connected to a spring pressed contact pin 9|, said pin making Contact with one or another of said time unit devices, as the disc 62 is advanced step by step by the star wheel 56 through the medium of the arm 55 connected to the timing mechanism.

If it is desired to select a station, for instance. VOR a determinator bearing the WOR designation is placed in holes of the plate 50. The deter minator for WOR is shown in detail in Figure 6 and consists of a handle portion 92 and four time unit elements 93. This determinator will permit radio reception for one hour. ach of the clcments 93 as shown in Figure 6 has a lower reduced portion and an upper enlarged portion 84. Since the function of a determinator is to bridge contact between one or more of the time unit devices lil) in Figure 3.

86 and a station selecting ring, the portion 94 in Figure 6 is of suilicient length to do this. The determinator for WJ Z has its time unit elements differently formed, each element containing two enlarged portions, one situated immediately adjacent the handle 92 to contact with a time unit device, and the other at the end of the element 93 to Contact with either of the third rings 12 or 18. For WEAF each determinator element has an enlarged portion 94 adjacent the handle and a second enlarged portion 94 situated a short dis tance from the end of the element 93, the latter making contact with either of the second rings or 16.

The enlarged portion 94 adjacent the handle portion 92 is characteristic of all of the determinators and the elements are all electrically conducting. The diameter of the enlargement 94 is such as to make contact with any of the rings 68 to 18 depending upon the position of the determinators and its station characteristics. In order that a good contact may be made, each element 93 is made as a split cylinder with its upper portion secured in the handle portion 92.

At the left hand portion of Figure 4 a determinator having a single element 9-3 is shown inserted in the plate 60 and it will be noticed that the portion 94 thereof serves to bridge the time unit device 86 shown in Figures 3 and 4 corresponding to 2:45 a. m., and the ring 14 appropriated to the station WOR. As long as the contact pin 9| carried by the contact disc 62 bears upon the 2:45 time unit device, a circuit will be established to the lead 42 and contact device 30 of that station. When the star wheel 56 moves from 2:45 to 3:00 oclock, the contact 9| passes to the next adjacent time unit device, but since there is no connection between this device and any station selecting ring the circuit to the radio set will be broken. Therefore it will be seen that each determinator causes a particular station to be received for an interval depending upon the num-- ber of the elements 93 carried thereby. It will also be apparent that the contour of eaclr element determines the station to be selected.

It will be noted by reference to Figure 3 that the inner or p. m. series of holes in the plate 60 are continuous and equally spaced from each other and are arranged in a circular arc, therefore any determinator having two or more elements 93 may be placed in any pair of holes. The outer series of holes corresponding to a. m., however, are arranged in groups of four, but the arc passing through the center of said group of holes is struck from the same radius as the adjacent group of holes corresponding to p. m. This enables a determinator having four elements 93, for instance, to be placed in any group of a. m. holes or in any four adjacent p. m. holes.

The contact disc 62 is provided on its face with a series of fifteen minute time intervals running through twelve hours which are visible through a sight opening 96 provided in the plate 60 as shown This is for the purpose of setting i and its manner of use will be later described.

|00 to lead 42 connected to the station contact 30 corresponding to WOR.

In the particular embodiment of the invention shown, the current then passes through the conducting ring 22 to contact 48, wire |0I, to the motor |0; thence by way of wires |02 to pole piece |03 through wire |04 to the armature |05 of the motor and through wire |06 tol pole piece |01, thence through Wire |08 to the other side of the line at |09. 'Ihe motor is energized and rotates the ring 22 in the direction of the arrow, Figure 10, until a4 non-conducting inset on the ring 22 comes into register with the contact piece 42. The circuit is then broken through the motor, but another circuit is established through the pole piece 42 to the conducting portion l2 of the inset and the current then passes through wire |i3 to the radio set making it operative. From the radio set it passes to the other side of the line through wire ||4.

If the determinator were of the contour shown in Figure 9, the current after passing through the conducting ring 63, pin 9| and unit device 86 corresponding to a particular time, would pass through the determinator and to the second stae tion selecting ring and by way of wire ||5 to contact ||6, thence through conducting lever ||1 to wire I8, to pole piece 44 corresponding to station WEAF. The motor would again start in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 10 but when the inset reached the position shown in Figure 3, the motor would be reversed by any well known reversing mechanism, such for instance, as that described. in my pending application above referred to, and would move in the opposite direction until the inset Il coincided with the pole piece 32 of the contact piece 30 corresponding to WEAF thereby breaking the current through the moto-r and establishing the local operating circuit through the set.

If a determinator, such as shown in Figure 7 corresponding to WJZ, were placed in any group of the a. m. holes, the current would pass from the ring 18 through wire |20 to contact I2 thence through lever |22 to wire |23 to pole piece 46 corresponding to WJZ on the conducting ring 22.

It will thus be seen that any determinator, depending upon the contour of its elements 93 will select the station appropriate to the particular determinator and said station will be received for as many unit intervals of time as there are elements 93 on the particular determinator used.

It has been stated that the plate 60 is provided with perforations corresponding to both p. m. and a. m. designations. Therefore, in order that the proper station may be selected by a determinator, means are provided whereby the control which such determinator exercises is automatically switched from a. m. to p. m. or from p. m. to a. m. at the position of the star wheel 56 corresponding to 12:00 oclock whether this be 12:00 noon or 12:00 midnight.

This switching is effected through mechanism more or less diagrammatically indicated in Figure 10 and includes an arm |24 carried by the shaft 58 to which the star wheel 56 is secured. When the star wheel moves to 12:00 as indicated by the pointer |26, Figure 3, the arm |24 moves from the position shown in Figure 10 to the dotted line position shown in Figure 3 and in so doing a iinger |21 on said arm engages one of four pins |28 carried by a star wheel |29 supported on a shaft |30 on the panel board of the radio set. The star wheel has four points with a depression therebetween, which depression is engaged by a spring pressed ball |3| and normally holds the star wheel at whatever position it has been moved by the arm |24. The star wheel carries an electrically conducting arm |32 which in Figure 10, is shown as engaging a pole piece |33 connected by a wire |34 to a switch 535, which switch, as shown in Figure l0 is engaged by a core |36 of a solenoid |31 suitably supported in a frame member |38. The core |36 is shown as having moved the switch member |35 to position it away from contact |40 so that no current ows through the solenoid |42 which when actuated serves to break the circuit between |35 and |40. When the arm |24 moves to the position shown in Figure 3 the star wheel is moved through 90 partly by the arm |24 and partly by the spring pressed ball so that contact |32 makes engagement with pole piece |44. A circuit is then established from the plug 64 through wires and |46, to wire |41 thence to solenoid |31 returning by wire |48 and through spring contact |50 to wire |5| to pole piece |44, contact arm |32, to wire |52 to the other side of the line. Solenoid |31 having thus been energized, its core |36 will be moved to the left as shown in Figure 10 and carry with it the floating piece |54 to which the levers 99, and |22 are pivoted, said levers being fulcrumed in the frame |38 at the points |55, |56 and |51. The floating piece |54 also engages the core |58 of the solenoid |42 and moves it from the position shown in Figure 10 to a position such that said core engages the spring Contact |50 and moves it to position to break contact between it and the wire |48 thereby breaking the circuit through the solenoid |31, spring contact |50 being then in the same relative position as shown at the right between the spring Contact |35 and the wire |40. A snap spring |66 holds the floating piece |52 and the levers 99, |1 and |22 in either position to which they are moved by the cores of the solenoids.

When the star wheel 56 has made another rotation and the arm |24 is again ready to move the star wheel |29, the arm |32 will be moved from the pole piece |44 to the pole piece |63 and current will be then established from the plug 64 through wire |52, arm |32 to pole piece |63 to wire |10, and wire |34, to Contact |35, wire |40 to solenoid |42, through said solenoid to wire |46. Solenoid |42 will then be actuated to move the oating piece |54 back to the position shown in Figure 10 and in so doing will break the contact between |35 and |40 and the part will again be positioned for a. m. selections. In other words the pole pieces |33 and |68 correspond to a. m. and the pole pieces |44 and |12 correspond to p. m.

In order that the user of the radio set may determine at a glance whether the switching mechanism is in a. m. or in p. m. position, the shaft |30 extends through the panel board and on the outside thereof a pointer |14 is provided and the designations a. m. and p. m. appear on the outside cf the panel board. The pointer |14 may be moved by hand in either direction to properly set the solenoid cores corresponding to the time of day.

Since the arm 54 makes but one rotation in iteen minutes, the arc of its movement while in contact with the star wheel, is relatively slow and in order that the pin 9|, Figure 4, carried by the contact disc 62 may quickly move from one time unit device 36 to another, a spring pressed pawl |16 is provided and the timing is such that the pin 9| remains in contact with one oi the time unit devices 86 until the point of the star wheel has passed the point of the pawl |16 when the pawl spring acts to quickly move the star wheel and quickly jump the pin 9| from one device 86 to the next.

It will be noted that as soon as the star wheel has moved to a position where a unit device 86 and a station selecting ring is not bridged by the enlarged portion 64 of an element 03 o1 a determinator, the circuit through the radio set is broken and reception from the particular station controlled by said determinator ceases.

It is apparent that a number of determinators corresponding to a particular station may be provided. For instance, for WOR in addition to a determina-tor such as is shown in Figure 6, other determinators having three, two and one element 93 would be provided, each element however, having a contour characteristic of the station to be selected thereby. It is obvious of course that several sets of determinatcrs for the same station may likewise be provided in order to permit the same station to be received at different 'times with but one adjustment of the determinators. It is also obvious, however, that a single set of determinators for each station will be sufiicient, but if the same station is to be repeatedly received, the determinators will of course have to be repositioned.

By having a sufcient number of determinators it is possible to set these so that any station may be received at fifteen minute intervals or any multiple thereof throughout the entire twentyfour hours, and after having been once positioned,

the stations will be received in the order that the determinators are set without any further attention whatever on the part of the user of the radio set. The radio will be silent during all intervals where no determinator is in operative position, but the set will become automatically operative when any determinator begins to exercise its control in cooperation with the timing element.

At 12:00 noon, the control which has previously been exercised by one or more determinators which have been placed in the a. m. holes will automatically be switched to control by determinators which may have been placed in p. m. holes all without any attention on the part of the user except the initial positioning of the determinators.

What I claim is:

l. In a radio receiving set, the combination with tuning mechanism, a. motor for moving said mechanism through an arc of radio reception corresponding to a plurality of stations; oi station selecting and time unit devices, a pliuality of determinators each having time unit elements, each element having a contour appropriate to a station and means cooperating with each determinator whereby an element of a determinator by its contour controls the movement of said tuning mechanism by said motor and by the number of its time unit elements determines the time interval during which the particular station selected shall be received.

2. In a radio receiving set, the combination with tuning mechanism movable through an arc of radio reception, station selecting and time unit devices, a unitary determinator having a plurality of time unit elements carried thereby each element having a contour appropriate to a station, and means cooperating with the said determinator whereby an element thereof by its contour controls the degree of movement of said tuning mechanism to select a station and by the number of its time unit elements determines the time interval during which the selected station shall be received.

3. In a radio set, the combination with tuning mechanism, a motor for moving said mechanism through an arc of radio reception corresponding to a plurality of stations; of station selecting means, time unit devices, a plurality of determinators each having means to cooperate with the same station selecting means to determine the movement of said motor to select a particular station and to cooperate with a different number of said time unit devices to determine different time intervals during which the selected station shall be received.

4. In a radio set, the combination With tuning mechanism, a motor for moving said mechanism through an arc of radio reception corresponding to a plurality of stations; of station selecting means, a series of time unit devices, a determinator having elements carried thereby for cooperating with said station selecting means and with a plurality of successive time unit devices at any point in the series thereof, and means brought into action by the cooperation of said elements of said determinator with said time unit devices to control the interval during which the selected station shall be received.

5, In a radio set, the combination with tuning mechanism, a motor for moving said mechanism through an arc of radio reception corresponding to a plurality of stations; of station selecting means including a continuous series of time unit devices corresponding to p. m. and a series of groups of time unit devices corresponding to a. m., a determinator having time unit elements carried thereby for cooperation with successive time unit devices of said p. m. series and with any group of a. m. devices, said time unit elements of said determinator also cooperating With said station selecting means, and means brought into action by the cooperation of said elements of said determinator with said time unit devices to control the interval during which the selected station shall be received.

6. In a radio set, the combination with tuning mechanism, a motor for moving said mechanism through an arc ci radio reception corresponding to a plurality of stations; oi means for controlling the amount of movement of the tuning mechanism by the motor and having electrical connections with said motor, station selecting means including a series of time unit devices corresponding to p. m., a series of time unit devices corresponding to a. m., a source of current, a timing element for successively connecting said time unit devices with said current source, a determinator adapted to cooperate with a time unit device oi. either the a. m. or p. m. series, means carried by said determinator for completing the circuit through a time unit device to the motor when cooperating with any one of said a. m. or p. rn. time unit devices, under control of said timing element, and means for automatically switching the circuit control exercised by said determinator from the a. m. to p. m. series of time unit devices or vice versa when said timing element passes a given position.

7. In a radio receiving set, the combination with tuning mechanism; of station selecting means, time unit devices, a determinator for cooperating with a station selecting means to determine the tuning in of a station and for simultaneously cooperating with a definite plurality of said time unit devices to determine how long the particular station shall be received.

8. In a radio set, the combination with tuning mechanism; of station selecting means, time unit devices, a plurality of determinators each having means to cooperate with the same station selecting means to determine tuning in of a particular station and to cooperate with a diierent number of said time unit devices to determine different time intervals during which the selected station shall be received.

9. In a radio receiving set, the combination with tuning mechanism; of station selecting means including a continuous series of time unit devices corresponding to p. m., a series of groups of time unit devices corresponding to a. m., a determinator having elements cooperating with successive time unit devices of said p. m. series and any group of a. m. devices, said determinator also having means to cooperate with said station selecting means, and means brought into action by the cooperation of said elements of said determinator with said time unit devices to control the interval during which the selected station shall be received.

10. In a radio receiving set, the combination with tuning mechanism; of station selecting means including a series of time unit devices corresponding to p. m., a series of time unit devices corresponding to a. m., a source of current, a timing element for successively connecting said time unit devices with said current source, a determinator adapted to cooperate with said time unit devices oi either the a. m. or p. m. series, means carried by said determinator for completing the circuit through a time unit device to the tuning mechanism under control of said timing element, and means for automatically switching the current control exercised by said determinator from the a. 1n. to the p. m. series of time unit devices or vice versa when said timing element passes a given position.

l1. In a radio receiving set, the combination With tuning mechanism; of station selecting and time unit devices, a plurality of determinators having time unit elements, each element having a contour appropriate to a station, and means cooperating with each determinator whereby each element thereof by its contour controls the tuning in of a station and by the number of elements carried thereby determines the time interval during which the particular station selected shall be received.

12. In a radio set, the combination with tuning mechanism; station selecting means including a plurality of electrically conducting members one for each station, time unit devices, a plurality of determinators each having means to electrically connect a station selecting means with one or more time unit devices, different determinators having different numbers of elements for cooper-- ating with different numbers of time unit devices.

13. In a device of the character described, in combination, circuit selecting means, time unit devices, a plurality of determinators each having means to cooperate with the same circuit selecting means to determine the closing of the selected circuit and simultaneously to cooperate with a different number of said time unit devices to determine different time intervals during which the selected circuit shall remain closed.

EMILE BRUGGER. 

